weblog by angel robinson

There’s a little more than an hour of Father’s Day 2008 left, so I’d like to send a quick shout to all of the dads whose eyes light up when their kids enter the room.  Hope you had a great day!

So, it’s done.  I’ve moved to New Orleans, well back to New Orleans.  Almost three years ago, I packed a duffle bag thinking I was going to be away for the weekend and my weekend trip is finally over.  I now understand how Gilligan must have felt on his three hour tour!  This move haven’t been without mishaps.  I haven’t unpacked anything.  I don’t know what’s in a LOT of boxes and I haven’t even tried to unpack anything yet.  I’ve shed many tears over the past couple of days, but all in all and all things considered, I know I am exactly where the universe needs me to be.  There are no mistakes.

And because I like blog posts with pictures, I thought I’d treat you to my first one here.  My friend Christy & I were talking about the “Let Love Rule” house which is in Central City.  Years ago, someone painted “Let Love Rule” on the back of their house and the only way to see it is on the downramp of the Pontchartrain Expressway at the St. Charles Avenue exit.  I was joking about how I’ve always wanted to get a picture of it, but you have to catch the red light AND you have to have the camera ready.  Well, desire met opportunity met preparation yesterday and I got a shot.  It isn’t the best, but did I mention you had to catch the red light on the downramp with the camera ready?  That in mind, it’s pretty sweet and here it is . . .

First of all, let me confirm the worst-kept non-secret secret ever.  I am moving my company out of Texas to New Orleans.  I have always called Write Robinson a Texas business with a New Orleans soul.  Now the soul is going home.  To get there however, I have to pack up everything I own, load it on a truck, and head south.  Like everyone I know, I hate packing.  I’m trying to use this as an opportunity to purge (which I have already begun) and start fresh.  My friends love that part.  I have always thought of myself as a minimalist with a maximalist shopping habit.  This process is going to be over soon whether I like it or not or am ready for it or not.  The family gets here in less than 48 hours to help me load everything.

By the way, I’ve collected Marcia Baldwin’s art pieces for years.  I used to have them hanging on a large wall in my bedroom in New Orleans, but some of them made their way into my workspace.  I love them as it’s always spring in here!

It’s storming here so I’ll cut this short….keep you posted on the progress!

Day One - May 30th 

This summer is going to be great!  First of all, I am already organizing a girl’s party to go see the Sex & the City movie on May 30th.  I already have three lined up and plan to invite more.  May 30th should be a celebration of girlfriends.  Girls, women supporting each other and loving each other through the good and bad times.  Were it not for my friends, Write Robinson wouldn’t exist as I know it.  They have encouraged me, been customers, investors, and marketers.  It’s so lovely to know that my girls support my dreams wholeheartedly!  Therefore, on May 30th when I make the pilgrimage to the theater to revisit Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte, and Miranda, I will smile in my soul knowing that I am watching a celebration of their friendships while surrounded by mine.  Because in the words of Carrie Bradshaw, “Life doesn’t always turn out to be your fantasy; that’s why you need friendships that are real to get you through it all.”

Check out the official trailer at here.

Day Two - July 1st

The second day this summer that I anticipate like a child waiting for Christmas is the release of “Where the Light Is” on July 1.  I’m SO SO excited.  Almost two years ago, I saw John Mayer live for the first time and it was the second most amazing show of my life.  As much as I love the Mayer, the number one show of my life is still Run DMC/Beastie Boys in fall 1987 at the UNO Lakefront Arena in New Orleans.  For long stretches of John’s show, however, I found myself staring at his hands as they strummed the guitar and I felt that this man was literally strumming out his soul.  I caught a piece of it that night and will forever respect him as a musician and artist  These two terms I think are unfortunately handed out like candy nowadays rendering them meaningless.  Anybody who sings on a record or raps over a track is NOT an artist (just a pet peeve of mine).  Anyway, John is an artist as he intends to create new sounds and translate classic ones through his own lens of pop, rock, blues, and soul.  I use his music to feed my own creative soul.  When I’m working for long stretches of time, I put on the entire Mayer catalog and work and sing until I’m either done or am absolutely exhausted. I once read an interview where he said that he has played the guitar everyday of his life since he was thirteen years old.  I took that as a challenge to myself to fully commit to my passion and work on Write Robinson every single day.  John’s going on tour again this summer and unfortunately I won’t make the Houston show as I’d planned.  “Where the Light Is” more than makes up for that.  Christy and I have already planned to have a viewing party, even if it’s only the two of us, where we will wear our best Mayer paraphenalia and groove to the sweet sounds for 22 songs! Check it out July 1.  I sure will!!!!

 Acoustic Set:
1. Neon
2. Stop This Train
3. L.A. Song
4. Daughters
5. Free Fallin’

Trio Set:
6. Everyday I Have The Blues
7. Wait Until Tomorrow
8. Who Did You Think I Was
9. Come When I Call
10. Good Love Is On The Way
11. Out Of My Mind
12. Vultures
13. Bold As Love
 
Band Set:
14. Waiting On The World To Change
15. Slow Dancing In A Burning Room
16. Why Georgia
17. The Heart Of Life
18. I Don’t Need No Doctor
19. Gravity
20. I Don’t Trust Myself (With Loving You)
21. Belief
22. I’m Gonna Find Another You

By the way, my top concerts are:

1. Run DMC/Beastie Boys - 1987

2. John Mayer - 2006

3. Black Crowes - 1993

4. The Jacksons  - 1978 (solely because I remember Michael performing “Rock with You” in the same outfit as the video and he was AWESOME!)

My life has been extremely stressful lately.  The big Mother’s Day holiday has been great around here at Write Robinson with a number of clients wanting to surprise their moms with couture (How awesome is that? No seriously, how AWESOME is that!!!???).  I so enjoy what I do.  Christy’s wedding stationery planning is in full swing.  We’ve been working on this for a year, the wedding is in less than 20 weeks and the ENTIRE design scheme has changed this week!  Talk about pressure.

Nothing cures my soul like a little retail therapy.  And what, to my delight, arrived in my mailbox a few weeks ago?  The latest catalog from Arhaus.  Now I know I’ve gushed over them before.  But seriously, credit has to be given where it’s due.  I love their catalogs so much.  First of all, they just highlight the furniture in a way that’s subtle and elegant.  I look at their catalog and it makes me want to redo my entire house!  I will be purchasing the Ibarra bookends though.  My love for wrought iron is immense and that particular scroll-style has special meaning for me and is repeated in elements in my home’s architecture.

Casual luxury and simple elegance is what I believe in and Arhaus provides me with an outlet to dream everytime I get a catalog.  Seriously, just looking at this table makes me want to create a Saturday morning breakfast tradition.

Kudos again to Arhaus and the Epstein design team for a job well done!

I am honored to announce that Write Robinson has been selected as an official 3Luxe “Best of” company.  I would like to thank Bill Worple and his entire team for reviewing our products and deciding that we merited this distinction.  3Luxe highlights and reviews the best luxury brands in a myriad of lifestyle categories.  I am pleased to be in the company of such illustrious and revered brands. 

For the past year, anyone who has talked to me has heard about my men’s line.  It has been inside my head and I’ve been conceptually throwing around materials, design ideas, getting input from actual men, and just trusting my own aesthetic.  I’m coming close to getting to a place where I’m comfortable with what those efforts are bringing forth.  However, I just wanted to share some of the awesome embossed papers I’m thinking of using.

I haven’t written for a while, but I’ve thought about you all a lot.  There’s exciting news going on in the Write Robinson world and I can’t wait to tell you all about it.  As usual, I’ve been traveling to New Orleans quite frequently and I had a great time spending my birthday there last month.  Easter Sunday was fantastic as I had brunch with my mom, niece, and cousin and then we just happened to run into two Easter parades!

I’ve been spending my days on Christy’s wedding invitations and save the date cards. I’ll show pics of them soon.

In the meantime, here are some highlights of my trip to New Orleans during Easter.  New Orleans has always been a city of contrasts. Wealth and poverty living in close proximity.  Each defined with a blurry line.  Post Katrina, that line is sharp and shameful. New Orleans is my hometown and I love it there.  Right now though, it is clearly divided between haves and have nots.  There are people there who are working hard to restore the communities and lives destroyed. There are successes and catastrophic failures, but all still try because doing nothing is not an option.

This was the first parade we saw after brunch.  Of course, we had to stop and it didn’t matter that I almost got hit by a streetcar while trying to take pictures of the riders, it was worth it!

In New Orleans, the trees along St. Charles Avenue look like this for months after Mardi Gras until wind and rain and sometimes, curious tourists, remove all the beads that didn’t quite make it to revelers’ hands.

Not ten minutes after the St. Charles Avenue Easter parade, we ran into a Second Line on Claiborne Avenue.  Of course, again, we had to stop.  How could you not? This is what New Orleans is all about!

Later in the week, my cousin Kesha and I took a trip downtown to see Musician’s Village.  This neighborhood rebuilding project is being spearheaded by Harry Connick, Jr. and Branford Marsalis.  I absolutely love the colorful houses and how it’s a bright spot in a devastated area. Some have complained about the colors, but I love it.

I spotted this bumpersticker on a car in Musician’s Village.  It still makes me sad because I don’t think people realize that keeping New Orleans safe isn’t up to debate. It’s vital to life and people and culture.

Kesha and I also went across the bridge to the Lower 9th ward because she hadn’t been since Hurricane Katrina.  Everytime I go, I’m saddened by what I see….actually by what I don’t see.  When I was there two months after Katrina, the streets were barely navigable because smashed houses and debris were everwhere.  The emptiness and quiet are scary now.  This entire neighborhood is gone. 

My birthday trip to New Orleans continues.  Unfortunately for you all, I forgot my camera cord in Texas so no photos yet.  However, this trip has been amazing so far and I’ve become more free with picking up my camera and snapping shots anytime something catches my eye.  I’m also gathering tons of ideas and inspirations for my Summer collection.  Also, I’m so incredibly excited about the new men’s collection.  I’m not happy with the current state of men’s stationery and I believe that I am creating a modern, masculine aesthetic.  As most of my clients have been men making purchases for their wives or girlfriends, I have heard over and over again that as soon I make cards that are more manly, then they’ll be back for themselves.  Look out fellas, the collection is almost done.

My birthday trip is expanding because I’ve planned some business meetings for next week.  The good thing about being an entrepreneur is the ability to be flexible with time and schedules.  I’m absolutely missing my studio though.  I need a creative outlet.  I brought some items to work on this week but finished them in two days.  Today, I have to go to Magazine Street to get some yarn to crochet or something.

This trip has solidified for me further that this business and this creative endeavor is what I was born to do.  I am in love with my company, my products, and the process of creating and building this business.

Flexibility is definitely a good thing.

In a few hours, I’m headed to New Orleans for my birthday celebration next week.  As usual, I’m waiting to the last minute to pack.  Even for me, this is late. I leave in three hours and I have not ONE article of clothing in a bag yet!  This is going to be a long trip tomorrow.  I can’t wait though.  I’m super-excited about being home, even if it’s only for a week.